Brewer's Secret: Porter Aged (w/ Vanilla Beans in Bourbon Barrels)
Mad River Brewing Company

Bottle on RBSG Bus from Ron. Dark brown pour small but tight beige head. Robust aroma of roast malts with some vanilla. Mild boozy character, more of the dark malts, but kind of finishes fast.

 

Pours a dark brown color witha big beige head and light lacing.

Nice bourbon whiffs. Vanilla is very present as well. Some marshmallow, caramel and cola whiffs. Nice.

The taste is very bourbony. Not overly sweet though their is some sweetness along with a light bourbon warmth. Tough to get much of the porter taste due to the bourbon but it's there....just light.

Overall this was enjoyable though be prepared for some beer to go with your booze.

Bottle. Dark brown with a tan head that’s quick to disappear. The aroma is dominated by bourbon - probably more than any bourbon BA I have had, a very similar smell to the glass of Heaven Hill bourbon I had right after this beer. Notes of vanilla and oak, as well as some caramel. The taste follows the same notes, super heavy on the bourbon, vanilla, oak, some dark cherries, caramel. Medium bodied with medium carbonation with a sweet bourbon-heavy aftertaste. Seems a bit boozy due to all that bourbon.

 

 

 

Bottle dated 10/2015 into a snifter. Pours a light brownish black with a tiny layer of white head that dissipated quickly. Nose is mostly barrel, hints of vanilla. Taste is a good vanilla porter, more baltic than american, more vanilla than expected from the nose, barrel influence is more subtle than expected from the nose. Mouthfeel is thin, carbonation a bit low, finish is clean with minimal booze noticed. Its a good BBA porter, wish it had a bit more body but I'll buy it again.

2-14

Appearance - Pours cola brown with a khaki, near 2-finger width head. Sub-par retention, fizzing slowly away to reveal a mostly barren surface and a thin ring of suds around the edge of the glass. A few small spots and a broken line or two is what consists of the lacing.

Smell - Vanilla and chocolate hit the nose first. Light peat smokiness. Cola?

Taste - Follows the nose. Mostly notes of chocolate and vanilla. A touch of caramel and peat smokiness. Faint boozy bourbon flavor in the finish.

Mouthfeel - Light in body with low, tingly carbonation. Kinda drinks like a spritzer. Drying finish. Smooth for 9%, but this is the weak point of what should be a more beefy beer, even after the BA process.

Overall - I love me some Mad River, but this one doesn't quite hit the mark. It's desperately thin and the bourbon qualities come through like an afterthought. Value priced for a BA brew, but I probably wouldn't buy it again.

P: Dark brown, nice long lasting one finger head, decent lacing.
A: Vanilla, sweet, whiskey, peppery,
T: Sweet Vanilla, bourbon whiskey, coffee, chocolate,
M: Very well balanced, light to medium body, dry, slightly bitter.
O: This is a very unique Vanilla Porter. My first Magic River and not my last.

 

 

 

Very vanilla in a bourbon barrel-aged porter. This one was smooth for sipping. All the malt sweetness and richness just served as delivery mechanism for that barrely flavor... But it was well delivered.

 

Dark tan head fades a bit too quickly, looks a bit thinner than anticipated. Otherwise deep reddish brown beer looks good in my snifter. Smells like Oatmeal raisin cookies soaked in bourbon. Tastes a bit sweet, definite vanilla and cocoa flavors. Bourbon is definitely present, but not in your face and very little alcohol burn. Lots of vanilla in the aftertaste. Taste is very good, but not as complex as I expected. Low carbonation makes this sipper go down easily. Overall a very nice nightcap.

 

Bottled 10/30/15.

Described as a porter aged with vanilla beans in bourbon barrels.

Pours an opaque super dark brown with a foamy dark khaki head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. Foamy rings of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of dark roasted malt, cocoa powder, vanilla bean, and bourbon aromas. Taste is much the same with cocoa powder, vanilla bean, bourbon, and slight char flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a good beer with a nice mix of vanilla bean and bourbon barrel aging with the base beer.

Serving type: bottle.